Everyday illustrated life – from inspirations and sketches to the function and story of illustration beyond the page – Gallery, About, Blog, Shop PaperCloudSky

All posts tagged: sketches

It’s always satisfying, not only to see a project completed, but to celebrate the progression of an idea – from initial spark through to finished work. And in this case I’m celebrating the completion of the artwork

I once bought the perfect artist’s sketch book – with a black leather-look cover and wonderful thick, acid-free pages. But when I unwrapped it and set it carefully on my art desk it would not work. Every time I opened the book blank pages stared at me – expressionless and fixedly white – until I closed its cover and placed it neatly on my shelf. There it observed life for a year or two, while I sketched happily on any other paper. Only when its spell had faded somewhat, did I open it again. Even then, I had to coax it into action by beginning journal style. On the first blank page, I washi-taped a smudged 2b thumbnail sketch (something I’d prepared earlier) on a ripped-edge scrap of lined foolscap. On the second blank page I taped a post-it note drawing of a smiling face. By the third page my drawings had escaped the additional scraps and sticky-notes – spreading outwards over the pages of that sketch book. Perhaps the hurdle was my conditioned love of …

Annmarie Scott is an illustrator, writer and maker based in Brisbane Australia. A graduate of the Queensland College of Art with a BA in Illustration, Annmarie’s artwork has been published on magazine and book covers, and between the pages of children’s picture books.